CHAPTER VIII HISTORY (NEW JAPAN) OUTLINE OF TOPICS: Birth of New Japan. - Nineteenth Century Japan; calendars; six periods: (I) Period of Seclusion, chronology and description; (II) Period of Treaty-making, chronology and description; (III) Period of Civil Commotions, chronology and description; (IV) Period of Reconstruction, chronology and description, especially the "Charter Oath"; (V) Period of Internal Development, chronology and description; (VI) Period of Constitutional Government, chronology and description; summary of general progress. — Bibliography. J ULY 14, 1853, was the birthday of New Japan. It was the day when Commodore Perry and his suite first landed on the shore of Yedo Bay at Kurihama, near Uraga, and when Japanese authorities received, in contravention of their own laws, an official communication from Millard Fillmore, President of the United States. It may be true that, even if Perry had not come, Japan would have been eventually opened, because internal public opinion was shaping itself against the policy of seclusion; but we care little for what “ might have been." It is, of course, true that Perry did not fully carry out the purpose of his expedition until the following year, when he negotiated a treaty of friendship; but the reception of the President's letter was the crucial point; it was the beginning of the end of old Japan. The rest followed in due course of time. When Japanese authorities broke their own laws, the downfall of the old system was inevitable. Mark those words in the receipt"in opposition to the Japanese law." That was a clear confession that the old policy of seclusion and its prohibitions could no longer be strictly maintained. A precedent was thus established, of which other nations were not at all slow to avail themselves. But although New Japan was not born until the second half of the nineteenth century, it suits the purpose of this book a little better, even at the expense of possible repetition, to take a survey in this chapter of that entire century, in order that the real progress of Japan may thereby be more clearly revealed in all its marvellous strides. Of course, the employment of the Gregorian calendar in Japan is of comparatively recent occurrence, so that it would be quite proper to divide up the century according to the old Japanese custom of periods, or eras,1 of varying length. This system was introduced from China and has prevailed since 645 A. D. A new era was always chosen "whenever it was deemed necessary to commemorate an auspicious or ward off a malign event." It is interesting, by the way, to notice that, immediately after Commodore Perry's arrival (1853), the name of the period was changed for a good omen! Hereafter these eras will correspond with the reigns of the emperors. 1 For lists of eras and emperors, see Appendix. But it is really more intelligible to divide the history of the century into six periods of well-determined duration. Each one of these periods, moreover, may be accurately named in accord with the distinguishing characteristic of that period. It must, however, be clearly understood that these distinctions are not all absolute, but rather relative. It is also possible, without an undue stretch of the imagination, to trace, in the order of the periods, the general progress that has marked the history of New Japan. These periods are as follows: I. Seclusion (1801–1853). II. Treaty-making (1854-1858). V. Internal Development (1879-1889). VI. Constitutional Government (1889-1900).1 It is of special interest for Americans to notice that the third and fourth periods are almost contemporaneous with the periods of Civil War and Reconstruction in the United States. We now take up each period in detail. I. Period of Seclusion (1801-1853). CHRONOLOGY. 1804. Resanoff, Russian Embassy. 1807. The "Eclipse" of Boston at Nagasaki. 1811-1813. Golownin's captivity in Yezo. 1818. Captain Gordon (British) in Yedo Bay. 1 Or [VII. Cosmopolitanism (1899- )]. 1825-1829. Dr. Von Siebold (Dutch) in Yedo. 1827. Beechey (British) in "Blossom " at Loo Choo Islands. 1837. The "Morrison" Expedition in Yedo Bay. 1844. Letter1 from King William II. of Holland. 1845. American whaler "Mercator" in Yedo Bay. British frigate "Saramang" at Nagasaki. 1846. Dr. Bettelheim in Loo Choo Islands. Wreck of American whaler "Lawrence" on Kurile 1848. (United States) Commodore Biddle's Expedition in Yedo Bay. Wreck of American whaler "Ladoga" off Matsumai, Yezo. Ronald McDonald landed in Japan. 1849. United States "Preble" in Nagasaki harbor. British "Mariner" in Yedo Bay. 1853. Shōgun Iyeyoshi died. Commodore Perry in Yedo Bay. It needs only a few words to summarize this period which includes the final days of the two-edged policy of exclusion and inclusion, which forbade not only foreigners to enter, but also Japanese to leave, the country. It would not even allow Japanese shipwrecked on other shores to be brought back to their native land, as several futile attempts mentioned above attest. Nagasaki was the only place where foreign trade was allowed, and there only in a slight degree with Chinese and Dutch. The events of this period are almost all vain attempts to open Japan. Two important events concern the Loo Choo Islands, 1 Recommending to open Japan to foreign intercourse. then independent, and later visited also by Commodore Perry on his way from China to Japan. Ronald McDonald was an Oregon boy, who, "voluntarily left adrift, got into Yezo, and thence to Nagasaki.” He is reported to have puzzled the Japanese authorities by stating that in America "the people are king and the source of authority"! This period of seclusion came to an end on July 14, 1853, when the Japanese, contrary to their own laws, received from Commodore Perry the letter from President Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan.1 II. Period of Treaty-Making (1854-1858). CHRONOLOGY. 1854. Perry's treaty of peace and amity. British treaty of peace and amity. 1855. Russian treaty of peace and amity. Terrible earthquake. 1856. Fire in Yedo; 100,000 lives lost. Dutch treaty of peace and amity. Townsend Harris, United States Consul, arrived. 1857. Harris in audience with the Shōgun. 1858. Harris treaty of trade and commerce. Elgin treaty of trade and commerce. 1 The following is what the Japanese themselves stated about this event: "The letter of the President of the United States of North America, and copy, are hereby received and delivered to the Emperor. Many times it has been communicated that business relating to foreign countries cannot be transacted here at Uraga, but in Nagasaki. Now, it has been observed that the Admiral, in his quality of ambassador of the President, would be insulted by it; the justice of this has been acknowledged; consequently, the above-mentioned letter is hereby received, in opposition to the Japanese law." |